Fortunate Misfortune
by xXSeas of EmeraldXx
Summary: That's what happens when you follow your heart; it gets broken. I thought I loved Jason, but I guess he never loved me back. I was all alone, until a certain son of Hephaestus stepped into my life. -Spoilers for MoA-


**Here's a little one-shot I came up with :) It was placed at the MoA reunion. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & The Olympians. All rights go to their respectful owners.**

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**Reyna's POV**

That's what happens when you follow your heart. It gets broken.

I saw Jason set foot into Camp Jupiter, after many, heart-wrenching months of his absence. My face lit up, and for a moment, I forgot about everything else. Until my eyes caught sight of..._her. _Jason had an arm wrapped around her waist, and it was evident that they had strong feelings for each other. The girl had choppy brown hair, and looked to be Native American.

My eyes hardened. Who was she? I bit my lip in order to stop myself from hurling abuse at the girl. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Preparing myself, I approached them with dignity, my head held high and my face giving away nothing; as I was expected to.

"Reyna!" Jason called happily, letting go of the girl's waist. I forced a small smile on my face as he pulled me into a hug.

"It's...so great to see you again," I said, but my tone suggested otherwise. "I see you've brought...a friend."

Jason's eyes twinkled as I mentioned the girl. "Oh, yeah! This is Piper," he gestured to the girl, whose hands were still intertwined with Jason.

Piper gave a shy smile. "Nice to meet you," she said softly.

I regarded her evenly and rose an eyebrow. "Who's your godly parent?" I asked her.

"Aphrodite," she answered briefly.

I scowled slightly. "You're...a Greek?" My tone was quiet, but it left no doubt that we didn't accept Greeks here.

Piper nodded, wincing slightly from my hostility.

I gritted my teeth and turned to Jason. "Why...did you bring a Greek onto Roman territory?! They're scum; they don't deserve our hospitality," I growled, anger flaring in my eyes and my cheeks were tinted scarlet.

Jason's eyes were now filled with disbelief and hurt. "What's gotten into you, Reyna?! What's so bad about Piper that you can't accept her the way she is?"

I scoffed. "It's not _her _I have a problem with, it's the fact that she's the daughter of a Greek goddess," I defended, pointing an accusing finger at Piper. In truth, it wasn't _that _big of a deal that Piper was Greek, but it was more of the fact that Jason obviously loved the girl; and this just made an excuse to unleash my bottled up anger.

Jason looked at me with sad eyes, and guilt started to set it. "Look, Jason, the Romans and Greeks obviously can't get along. It's best if we don't start a full-blown war between us; we have enough problems on our plate already," I explained, this time in a softer, more reasonable tone.

Jason let out a deep sigh. "But...Piper won't start a war. I trust her more than anyone," Jason told me, his eyes pleading.

The last part stung. I ran Camp Jupiter with Jason before he disappeared. We've spent _months _together as praetors, he was the closest to a friend I ever had; I ruled by fear, and no one in this camp dared to try and befriend me. Now, he comes back with this Aphrodite spawn and claims that he trusts _her_ more than _anyone._

I shook my head sadly and went to go greet the other demigods, leaving Jason and Piper in the dust.

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To be honest, I was starving; but the forkful of chicken, slathered in a sweet sauce, was tasteless. I sat at the head of the dinner table, and Jason and Piper sat a few spots down. The buzz of conversation filled the room.

I tried not to look at how Jason was so pleased to be with Piper, but it was difficult. Piper threw back her head and laughed as Jason told her something amusing. It pained me. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Jason was happy. I just...wish that it was me instead of Piper, as demeaning as it sounds. I didn't just love Jason, I was _in _love with him. I thought he felt the same way, but apparently not.

When Jason first was made praetor with me, I knew we would get along well. We both put all of our trust in each other. All those months, before he disappeared, we had so many memories; such good times. And now...he was willing to throw it all away, for just one girl.

During and after dinner, Jason hadn't given me a second glance. After finally being reunited with his friends and family, Jason _still _spends all his time with his 'girlfriend'.

Without a word, I strode purposefully to my office, and slammed the door hard behind me. I sat down on the nearest sofa, burying my head into my hands.

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard a rapping from the door.

"Come in," I called gruffly. It was probably Jason trying to reason with me. Instead, an elvish looking boy stepped into the room. I searched my mind for his name. Ah, yes, his name was Leo Valdez.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "What do you want?" I asked coldly.

Leo was seemingly unfazed. He shrugged. "Well...Jason told me you were upset, and I wanted to...I don't know, comfort you?" He said hesitantly.

"I don't want your pity," I replied icily, avoiding Leo's eyes.

Leo sighed and rolled his eyes. Wordlessly, he came and plopped down on the couch beside me and wrapped an arm around me.

I shrugged his arm off. "I said I don't need your pity," I repeated sternly.

Leo sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, sticking out his bottom lip in thought.

"Reyna, please. Jason's worried about you," he reasoned.

I shook my head in disgust. "If he's so _worried_ about me, then _he_ should come talk to me himself," I retorted.

Leo sighed in frustration. "He's just...having a hard time," he replied.

I snorted in indignance. "Oh yeah, I saw him at dinner; he really looked upset." My tone was laced with sarcasm.

"Look, Jason actually cares about you. It's just that...he isn't _in _love with you. He's in love with Piper."

"If he cares about me _so _much, he should come talk to me," I repeated my statement from earlier.

Leo let out a frustrated yell. "For the love of Hephaestus! Why must this be so difficult?! He didn't come here because he knew that you wouldn't talk to him, so he asked me."

I narrowed his eyes at him. "What makes you think that I'll talk to you?"

Leo winced slightly at my words, but he soon recovered. "Well, I thought my drastically good looks and charm would help with that," he joked with an mischievous grin, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

This time, I didn't attempt to pull away. I looked up into his deep brown eyes. I didn't realize I had been staring when Leo's voice woke me from my stupor.

"Like what you see?" He teased, wiggling his eyebrows. I stifled a grin as I looked away, color rushing to my cheeks.

"D-don't get such a big head, Valdez," I said dryly, stuttering slightly. Why did I seem so nervous? I knew I had strong feelings for this boy, but I didn't know whether they were positive or negative yet.

Leo laughed lightly at my flustering. Unexpectedly, he pulled me into a hug. "You know what?" He spoke softly into my hair. "Don't worry so much about Jason. He's not the only guy in the world."

I nodded slightly. Leo pulled away and smiled at me.

"I suppose I should thank you," I said quietly.

Leo made a dismissive gesture. "Nah, think nothing of it. All in a day's work," he replied with a wink. He leaned in and pecked me softly on the cheek. He stood up and walked quietly out the door, hands in his pockets.

I smiled to myself as I heard Leo's distant voice talking to himself. "Man, when did I get so smooth?!"

Maybe this was really how it was meant to be. I guess you could call it fortunate misfortune.

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**Hope you guys liked it! I originally was going to make it full-blown angst, but then decided to throw Leo in. After all, Leo can make any situation better ;) **

**Also, just ignore the fact that -SPOILER- Leo blows up the camp when they first get there, 'cause that would kina ruin this...**

**Thanks for reading! Feedback much appreciated!**


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